A Bright Moon Within the Dark
by ilovepotato
Summary: "Do not dwell on the future, Harry. Think about the present first to be able to understand the future."


Harry was expected to finish a task that other people are afraid of. All he wanted was to be a normal adolescent, but the dark times loomed ahead. Even his friends believed him to be the only one who can truly stop a war that started two decades ago. To stop a raging lunatic who have corrupted the entire Wizarding World and killed his parents.

Would he have a sibling, or siblings, perhaps, if his parents had lived? Would Neville be the Boy-Who-Lived instead of him? Would James and Lily Potter be in St. Mungo's, and Frank and Alice Longbottom six feet underground? Would he-

"Hello, Harry. It appears that I have interrupted a train of thought, didn't I?" A soft, dreamy tone of voice had indeed interrupted his musings, but who was he to care? "It seems that the Nargles have brought me here. I've lost my shoes again, you see."

"It's nice to see you, Luna," greeted Harry. "And no, you didn't interrupt anything. Would you like me to help you find your shoes?"

"Oh, no, thank you. I'll be able to find them on my own. My mum always said things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end," answered Luna. Then she looked up at the ceiling, and Harry did too, and saw a pair of shoes dangling by the laces.

"So what are you doing out here, Harry?" continued Luna.

"I'm just thinking. Thinking of what's going to happen in the future."

"Do not dwell on the future, Harry. Think about the present first to be able to understand the future," said Luna.

"Thanks, Luna. You're great, you know that?"

"Not really. No one's ever said that to me," said Luna wispily. "You're the first one."

"Why not? Surely someone's said that to you, besides me," said Harry.

Luna shook her head. Her eyes, big and prominent, looked up to him. She shook her head again and said, "No, all other people say to me is how 'loony' and 'crazy' I am. They just think of me as a pathetic, lonely girl who talks of nonsense and doesn't belong in Ravenclaw."

Harry's heart clenched. Luna is absolutely _not _pathetic. She may talk of absurd things, but it's her beliefs. She is confident, never a hint of doubt in her voice, and believes whole-heartedly in the things she talks about.

"… but I never let their words cut me deep. They are, after all, _just words_."

Harry took one of Luna's hands gently. Then he pulled her against him, embracing her tightly with all his might. He burrowed his face into her hair and Luna gasped in complete surprise. She stayed frozen for a moment, until she slowly returned his embrace. She then heard Harry sniffle and guessed that he may be crying. Harry lifted his head and turned his face towards her. Tears of sorrow, fatigue, and pain were streaming down his face.

"I'm just tired of everything! Everyone expects me to defeat him because a bloody prophecy said so! I don't want to do this. I don't want to lose more people I care about. I just want to live a normal life. Why can't I just have that? Is it too much to ask for me to ask?"

"Shhh… Everything will be alright," soothed Luna.

"That's what everyone says," Harry pointed out.

"That may be, but I suppose there are no other words to say that everything _will_ be alright. I feel your sadness, Harry. You're not alone. Losing your parents when you were just a year old, and now your godfather, the only family you had left. My mother died when I was nine. My father succumbed into depression after her death and never truly recovered."

"I'm sorry about that, Luna," Harry said.

Luna stared at Harry with dolor in her eyes, despite a subtle smile on her face. "Don't be sorry, Harry. It's not your fault. Never be sorry for something you did not cause."

Harry nodded. The tears stopped flowing and dried on his countenance. He didn't know what to feel at the moment. He was glad to have someone like Luna to understand him completely without giving out much detail. But at the same time, he wants Luna to know how know how great she is. How could no one think Luna as amazing? She is wonderful to be around, her personality captivates him, and she's not afraid to speak her mind. Her voice is always upbeat and positive, but he knows there's sorrow underneath all her façade.

"You're a terrific friend, Luna. You really are," Harry said suddenly. The silence between them wasn't awkward. It was nice and they welcomed it. There was breeze and the night sky was above them, and stars twinkling like Christmas lights. Both of them noticed that they were still embracing each other, but neither of them said anything about it. They were enjoying this peaceful night, savoring it as if it might end at once.

Harry then remembered about Slughorn's Christmas party, and Hermione told him that he couldn't wriggle out of it. He still needed a date and he thought Luna could come with him. _But what if she says no, _the voice in the back of his mind said. Harry hope she would say "yes". Not that he actually minded about the party, he wanted to spend more time with Luna. And he wondered if she wanted to spend some time with him also. _Probably not, _the voice said again.

"You have something on your mind again, Harry?" Luna startled him. He dropped down his hands to his sides and watched Luna do the same. He stared at her for a while and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He did it again, but to no avail.

Luna giggled. "Are you pretending to be a fish, Harry? You look quite funny when you do that."

Harry rubbed his neck nervously. Why was he acting like this? He didn't know the answer to his own question, so he proceeded to be a Gryffindor and ask Luna. "Um… Luna, would you like to go to Slughorn's party with me?" he asked. "As friends, of course!" he added.

Luna smiled amusingly at Harry, and then answered, "I'd love to with you, Harry. I've never been asked to go to a party before, as friends."

"Great, great, thanks." He smiled softly at her.

She returned his smile and stood on her toes and gave Harry a peck on the cheek. "I should be getting back to my dormitory now. Thank you for asking me, Harry. And good night."

"Good night to you, too, Luna," said Harry.

"By the way, stop overthinking about what's going to come, you're going to attract Wrackspurts and they will make your brain go all fuzzy."

Harry chuckled and watched Luna leave. Her footsteps died down and he was all alone again. She left him in the dark and back to his musings. He was glad to ask him to the party and not some fangirl who only wanted to go with him because he's the Chosen One. _Maybe after this war, we can be together, as more than friends. _

**A.N.: First story! I hope you guys like it:) I was inspired to write this pairing by my friend. Thanks so much! **


End file.
